Johann Matthias Ranftl 1804 Wien-1854 Wien

Johann Matthias Ranftl’s artistic talent was discovered early on and encouraged by his mother. He studied history painting and drawing at the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts under Johann Baptist Lampi, Anton Petter and Johann Peter Krafft. Soon after finishing his studies, he exhibited for the first time at the Academy, submitting a portrait and a history painting which were very well received. In 1826 he went to Russia for two years, where he received numerous commissions for portraits. Upon his return, he created a number of altarpieces and royal portraits. In 1836 he travelled to London with prince Paul Esterházy, a trip that left a lasting impression on his style of painting. His main emphasis shifted to genre painting, depicting scenes of rural and urban life. He later developed an interest in child portraits and the depiction of animals, particularly dogs, which earned him the sobriquet “Dog-Raphael”. He illustrated Eduard von Bauernfeld’s revolution-satire entitled “Republik der Thiere” (Republic of Animals) with various etchings. Later in his life he also experimented with prints. Johann Matthias Ranftl became a member of the Vienna Academy in 1849 and led the life of a true “romantic” artist.